


No One Should Spend Christmas Alone

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 23:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12875637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)The next 25 days, Dec 1 to Dec 25, will have the 25 Days of BAU Christmas. <3





	No One Should Spend Christmas Alone

From across the bullpen, Emily saw JJ look at the picture on her desk. In it was a small picture of her, Will and the boys in front of their Christmas tree from a few years back. Her mother had taken it. Saddened, JJ picked up the frame, stared at it for a moment and placed it back on the desk.

She and Will had ended things peacefully, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Will was going to come over Christmas Eve, sleep on the couch and be there to open gifts that morning, but afterwards, he’d be going to visit his mom and dad with the kids, and JJ would be alone. 

Emily had always harbored a bit of a crush on her friend and teammate, but she was with Will for 10 years and had been happy. It’s why she felt a little guilty for being glad they were no longer together, and yet still sad for her. Still, she couldn’t bear the thought of JJ spending Christmas night alone. “Hey.”

“Hey,” JJ replied somberly, a small half smile painting its way across her face before being washed away by reality again. 

“First Christmas alone?”

JJ nodded and leaned back in the chair as a tear pricked the corner of her eye. “Yea, it sucks, but we weren’t in love anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Jayge.”

“I know you are.” Emily blew at her coffee in an attempt to cool it down as her mind wandered to JJ being alone on Christmas again. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out. “Do you want to come by me Christmas night? I’m gonna be alone too. We can watch Christmas movies and drink hot cocoa and do all that fun shit.”

At first, JJ looked like she was going to say no, but what was the sense of sitting alone wallowing when she could have her mind off things. “Actually yea, that sounds good. Thanks, Emily.”

“Anytime.”

JJ stood up from the chair and wrapped her arms around her friend, feeling a little better with a perfect hug from her best friend. Maybe it was just the Christmas season, maybe it was because she was feeling down, maybe it was genuine, but as JJ pulled away, she couldn’t help but feel a pull toward Emily that hadn’t been there before.”

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, JJ’s mood went up and down as her friends talked about all their Christmas plans. Spencer was spending all of his time with his mother. Tara and Penelope were going to make dinner together. Matt was obviously going to be at home with his wife and four kids. Luke was going home to see his parents and sister, Lucy. And Rossi was going to be spending time with Hayden, Joy and Kai. 

Everyone seemed so excited, and why wouldn’t they be - it was Christmas, one of the most joyous times of the year. But for JJ this year it was anything but. She was grateful not to be spending Christmas night completely alone, but she was still sad, and couldn’t help feeling just the tiniest bit jealous of everyone else’s happiness. Despite that though, Christmas Eve was filled with smiles as the team went their separate ways. “See you tomorrow?” Emily asked.

“Yea, definitely.” JJ hoped that this new arrangement between her, Will and the boys would work out. Tonight was family time. Tomorrow she would tackle as it came, but hopefully it would be the start of a whole new tradition. “Thanks again, Em.”

“Anytime. No one should be alone on Christmas.”

The corners of her lips turned up as she walked into the elevator. She was lucky to have another family. There was always someone there to catch her.

JJ had already texted to say that the boys were on their way to their paternal grandparents’ house with Will, so she was in the house alone. It was 3:30 in the afternoon, but Emily had been so excited about actually spending Christmas with someone (she normally spent it alone too because her mother was off doing political crap) that she’d finished decorating the house.

Her tree was perfect, full of ornaments from all the places she traveled and all the things she enjoyed. It was topped with an angel and there was tinsel too. All round the house, there were stuffed Santas and embroidered Christmas towels on nearly every surface, and of course, on the mantel, there was that creepy elf on the shelf she always loved. It was creepy, but dammit, it was Christmas tradition. Come on over, she’d texted.

Dinner was already in the oven. She’d made lasagna, so the apartment smelled amazing.

Apparently, JJ had already been sitting in the car, because it seemed like she was at the door within 10 minutes, and she had to live at least 15 minutes away. “Hey,” she said, her smile painted on as she walked in the door. When she inhaled the delicious scents of pasta and sauce, her smile turned a bit more genuine. “Oh my god, it smells great in here.”

“Thanks. Everyone loves this recipe. Without fail.”

“I can imagine.”

As she walked into the apartment and took off her coat, the lines and angles of JJ’s face wavered, thinking about the reality of her situation, but when Emily brought over a steaming mug of hot cocoa, she felt that familiar warmth spread over her - the one she’d felt only a few times before in these past few weeks. “Mmm…” JJ mumbled. “This smells good too. Thanks again for inviting me over.”

“Anytime,” Emily said earnestly. “No one should be alone on Christmas.”

“Agreed. Cheers?”

The two clinked their mugs together and walked over to the couch. Emily spoke of her brief conversation with her mother, who yet again apologized for being “too busy” to be home. JJ then regaled her with the tale of the boys opening their presents this morning. Both of them were in a super Spiderman phase, so there were a lot of costumes, web shooters and the like all over the house, all wrapped in Spiderman wrapping paper of course. “So you had a good time?” Emily asked. “Despite everything?” As she’d been talking, her face was lit up. 

JJ thought for a moment before speaking. “Yea, actually. It’s going to be hard for a while, getting used to this when we spent 10 years together, but being here, and having Will over to open gifts this morning anyway made me feel like we can get through - us and the boys.”

“I’m really glad,” Emily replied, lifting her glass again in toast. “Maybe this can be a new Christmas tradition for you?”

The lights of the Christmas tree twinkled in JJ’s eye. “Us getting together?” She asked, eyebrow raised. “Yea, I think I could get used to that.”

“Good,” Emily said. “Wanna watch a movie now?”

“Miracle on 34th Street?” JJ asked hopefully. 

Emily popped up from the couch and placed her mug of cocoa on the side table before pulling the DVD out; she’d already had that one prepared as one of the possibilities. 

After putting in the DVD, she returned to the couch and silence fell over them both, leaving the movie to play while the twinkling moon flooded into Emily’s apartment, a small sliver of light coming to rest on the both. Somehow, in the midst of all JJ’s moving and trying to get comfortable, she ended up with her head against Emily’s shoulder. It was uncomfortable as hell, but JJ looked so peaceful, so she didn’t have the heart to tell her. 

The movie concluded and JJ took a deep breath. “That was really nice. That movie always makes me feel good.”

“The magic of Christmas movies,” Emily said, smiling. “Another one?”

“Do you have The Grinch?”

“Animated or Jim Carrey?”

“Animated, duh.”

“Did you just ‘duh’ me?”

“I did. And I vote Grinch.”

She chuckled as Emily put the DVD in, getting up from the couch to grab them both a little more cocoa, as well as a piece of lasagna that had finally finished cooking. 

The short cartoon was over too quickly, just as the food and drink were gone much the same, but they’d gotten so comfortable, JJ still resting against Emily’s shoulders watching the moonlight shine against the newly falling snow. “White Christmas,” Emily said, feeling a warmth spread through her despite the chill in the air.

“Yea…Em…I really can’t thank you enough. I’m feeling a lot better.”

“That’s what friends are for,” she replied.

JJ lifted her head and turned to face her best friend. “Friends?” She asked quietly.

Emily looked into her eyes, seeing something that wasn’t there before. Swallowing hard, she decided to throw caution to the wind and lean in, testing out whether or not JJ meant what she thought she meant. 

Her eyes got heavy and she leaned in, giving Emily all the confirmation she needed. With a delicate hand on her best friend’s cheek, Emily pulled JJ in and lightly pressed their lips together. When she pulled away, JJ brought them back together, turning the kiss deeper than before. “You taste like cocoa,” she laughed.

“Could be worse,” Emily replied. “Is this something you want? I don’t want to push anything on you.”

“I’ve been wondering for weeks now what this feeling was, but…I think I know now.” Their lips met again, meshing together as smoothly as the moon melded with the sky. “Like you said, it’s the start of something new.”


End file.
